Illuminated balloon

ABSTRACT

In respect of a balloon ( 10 ) having an illumination device ( 20 ), including a light emitting member, which is mounted onto the wall inside the balloon cavity, at least one sheet ( 22, 24 ) of flexible material is connected to the illumination device inside the balloon cavity to serve as a parachute for the illumination device ( 20 ) in the event of rupture of the wall of the balloon when in an inflated condition. In embodiments where the illumination device is provided with a projection ( 12 ) and is mounted to the wall of the balloon by an attachment element, such as elastic band ( 18 ), engaging said projection from outside the balloon, the or each sheet of flexible material ( 22, 24 ) serving as the parachute may be connected to the illumination device ( 20 ) and to the balloon wall by location over the projection ( 12 ) and engagement by the same attachment member.

FIELD OF INVENTION

The present invention concerns a balloon comprising a flexible wallwhich is at least partially transparent or translucent and which has anillumination device mounted onto the wall inside the balloon cavity.

BACKGROUND ART

The applicant's earlier patent specification WO 2008/110832 discloses aparty balloon, that is to say a toy balloon, having an illuminationdevice mounted inside, the illumination device comprising a lightemitting diode (LED) powered by at least one battery. The LED lights upwhen a strip of insulating material is withdrawn from between thebattery and the LED to complete the circuit and the balloon is therebyilluminated from its interior.

In other versions of illuminated balloon, a switch may be provided whichcan be manually actuated to connect or disconnect a light source fromits power source thereby selectively to illuminate the balloon cavity.

In the applicant's known party balloon the illumination device ismounted to the inside of the balloon wall by having a projection whichis engaged from outside the balloon by an attachment element, such as aclip or a band, more specifically an O-ring of elastic material.Projections in the form of a partially spherical button or, morepreferably a flattened button, were proposed.

Although the applicant's earlier specification is primarily concernedwith a balloon formed in one piece of elastomeric material, such aslatex, the manner of mounting the illumination device inside the wall bymeans of a projection engaged from outside by a clip or band or similaris also applicable to a balloon formed from two sheets of flexiblematerial connected around their edges, the sheeting being formed ofsubstantially inelastic material, such as metallised plastics materialor Mylar.

However, other means of mounting an illumination device to the wall of aballoon are possible. For example the device may be attached by adhesivewhen the balloon wall material is of the substantially inelastic type.

Typically it is intended that the illumination device should onlyoperate once the balloon is inflated so as to light up the inflatedballoon.

In the event that the balloon bursts when inflated, the illuminationdevice which has been mounted inside may be flung out at some speed.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

An object of the present invention is to reduce the speed of anyprojectile resulting from a bursting balloon, such as a flying orfalling illumination device.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention provides a balloon comprising a flexible walldefining a balloon cavity and having an inlet portion defining anopening into the balloon cavity through which gas under pressure can bedirected to inflate the balloon, said wall being at least partiallytransparent or translucent, an illumination device including a lightemitting member which is mounted to the wall inside the balloon cavity;and a sheet of flexible material connected to the illumination deviceinside the balloon cavity, this sheet being configured to serve as aparachute for the illumination device in the event of rupture of thewall of the balloon when in an inflated condition.

The term “parachute” as used herein is defined as an umbrella shapedpiece of fabric of high drag to retard the descent of a falling body orreduce the speed of a moving/flying body.

In preferred embodiments a second sheet of flexible material isconnected to the illumination device inside the balloon cavity, thefirst and second sheets together serving as the parachute. Anarrangement which is particularly advantageous for efficient productionof balloons incorporating such a two sheet parachute is that the firstand second sheets should have a common connection to the illuminationdevice. Furthermore the first and second sheets preferably overlie eachother for at least about half of their respective areas.

In other embodiments the parachute may be formed by a single sheet, orby three sheets of flexible material, or more than three sheets.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The invention will be described further, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a sheet of material for forming the parachute structure;

FIG. 2 is a reduced scale plan view showing the positioning of twosheets when forming the parachute structure;

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary cross-section sketch showing how the parachutestructure and balloon wall are to be attached to the illuminationdevice;

FIG. 4 is a similar view to FIG. 3, but of enlarged scale, showing thesame component parts when the connection is completed;

FIG. 5 is a sketch showing the balloon with the parachute structureafter it has been inflated and has exploded; and

FIG. 6 is a sketch showing a modified embodiment of a balloon inaccordance with the invention in un-inflated condition;

FIG. 7 shows the balloon of FIG. 6 after inflation and rupture; and

FIG. 8 shows a slightly different view and to a larger scale of theballoon of FIG. 6 after inflation and rupture.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

One particular practical embodiment of the balloon of the invention is aballoon 10 formed of latex which is inherently transparent ortranslucent when it is stretched when the balloon is inflated. Anillumination device 20 is mounted onto the wall of the balloon, insidethe balloon, at a location generally opposite to the inlet portionthrough which the balloon is inflated in use.

The precise form of the illumination device 20 is not important to thepresent invention but it will typically include an LED or other lightsource and at least one battery power source to which the light sourceis connected in use, for example by removal of a strip of insulatingmaterial, an end of which is initially interposed between contacts forthe light source and battery. The LED and battery or batteries aremounted in a frame or housing which provides a projection 12 enablingattachment of the illumination device. The projection is typicallyformed with a neck portion 14 and an enlarged head 16. An enlarged head16 in the form of a flat circular disc, namely a short cylindrical form,is particularly suitable and is the form shown in the accompanying FIGS.3 and 4. However, other configurations are possible. An elastic band(rubber band) 18 engages over the projection 12 from outside the balloonwall, seating into the neck portion 14 to reliably hold the illuminationdevice 20. As shown in FIGS. 3 and 4 the band 18 is typically twistedseveral times as it is applied in order to make a tight connectionbetween the balloon material 10 and the neck 14 of the illuminationdevice 20.

Two sheets of polyethylene 22, 24, as shown in FIG. 2, are attached tothe illumination device 20 to serve as a parachute for the device 20 inthe event of bursting of the inflated balloon. By way of example, and asshown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the sheets are square sheets of low densitypolyethylene of a size 85 mm×85 mm. This size is chosen as about themaximum permissible to avoid being considered as a choking orsuffocation hazard in respect of a balloon which has burst and may bepicked up by children. A suitable thickness of polyethylene is from 0.03mm to 0.05 mm, again around the maximum permissible for the same safetyreason. The two sheets 22, 24 are each connected at a generally centralposition to the end of the illumination device. They overlie each otherto a considerable extent, for at least half their respective areas.Preferably, as shown in FIG. 2, they are orientated to be offset through90° relative to each other.

To make the connection each sheet 22, 24 is provided with a small hole26 at a central location and this is passed over the head portion 16 ofthe projection 12 of the illumination device 20 before the illuminationdevice is secured to the inside of the balloon wall. In the subsequentmanufacturing step, shown in FIGS. 3 and 4, the sheets 22, 24 are heldin position by the same band 18 which secures the illumination device20. Then in the event of explosion of the balloon 10 after it has beeninflated, the sheets remain 22, 24 attached to the illumination device20, namely the aforementioned LED module, and the relevant fragment ofballoon wall, and serve as a parachute, slowing the speed of the LEDmodule and reducing the force of any impact it makes. This isillustrated schematically in FIG. 5.

When such a balloon bursts from a full inflated condition, the LEDmodule 20 may be hurled in any direction at a speed of about 30 m sec⁻¹in reaction to the release of the pressurised gas. Tests have shown thatwith the provision of a parachute of this form the velocity of the LEDmodule 20 may be reduced, typically by 30%, but even by as much as 70%,thereby reducing risk of any damage or injury being caused as a resultof impact of the module.

The aforesaid description is illustrative, not limitative, of theinvention and many variations are possible within the scope of theappended claims. As previously mentioned in other embodiments a singlesheet of flexible material may provide the parachute or three or moresheets of flexible material, overlying each other to some extent, mayprovide the parachute.

In a modified embodiment illustrated in FIGS. 6 to 8, a single sheet ofpolyethylene 30 provides the parachute and this sheet is formed withreinforcing ribs 28 extending from a central region towards the edge ofthe sheet. The reference numerals used to designate other parts are thesame as in the preceding figures as these parts correspond. With asquare or rectangular sheet such ribs 28 are suitably four in number,extending towards the respective corners. The purpose of these ribs 28is to ensure that as the sheet 30 forms the parachute, upon bursting ofthe inflated balloon 10, it opens out and remains spread outwardswithout tending to fold back on itself. In this respect it is generallypreferred that the sheet 30 extends from the central connection to theLED module 20 at an angle between 170° to 180°. The ribs 28 facilitatethis. The ribs 28 are preferably provided on the surface of the sheet 30facing towards the balloon wall in the initial assembled un-inflated andsubsequently inflated condition. The ribs 28 may introduce a certaincurvature to the shape of the deployed parachute, as shown in FIG. 7.

In a further development, the ribs 28 are preferably of suchheight/thickness and have ends sufficiently close to the head 16 of theprojection 12 that those ends contact the projection as the parachutespreads and inhibit opening of the sheet 30 (or multiple sheets in otherembodiments) beyond a predetermined angle, such as 180°. The ribs maytaper in height/thickness from adjacent the centre towards the edge ofthe sheet so that the ends of ribs at the centre are high enough toprovide the required abutment to prevent opening beyond 180°. Suchtapering may also result in helpful curvature of the deployed parachuteconfiguration.

Many variations to the above are possible in other embodiments. Forexample, there may be only a single sheet forming the parachute or theremay be two, three or more than three sheets. The sheet or sheets neednot be square, and may be circular or any other shape found to besuitable. The exact size, thickness and composition of the sheetmaterial may vary and will be selected to optimise performance and easeof assembly of the illuminated balloon product and minimise cost. Whereribs are provided, any suitable number may be provided. For example, inrespect of a circular sheet, three equally spaced ribs may besufficient.

Although particularly designed in respect of illuminated latex partyballoons, the invention is applicable to all types of balloon, includingballoons of other material, particularly inelastic material, andballoons which are for other purposes than as toys or party decorations.

Furthermore, the sheet or sheets providing the parachute may beconnected to the illumination device in a manner different to thatdescribed above in respect of the illustrated embodiments, and theillumination device itself may be attached to the wall of the balloon ina manner different to that described above in respect of the illustratedembodiments.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A party balloon comprising: a flexible wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a balloon cavity, the flexible wall having an inlet portion defining an opening into the balloon cavity through which gas under pressure is directed into the balloon cavity in order to inflate the balloon, said wall being at least partially transparent or translucent; a self-contained illumination device comprising a frame, and a light emitting LED diode and a battery source for the LED diode which are together mounted in the frame, the frame being provided with a projection and the illumination device being mounted inside the balloon cavity to the inner surface of the flexible wall by an attachment element which engages from outside the balloon wall with the projection of the frame; and a parachute dimensioned for slowing the speed of movement of the illumination device in the event of rupture of the flexible wall of the balloon when the balloon is in an inflated condition, said parachute being in the form of a sheet of flexible material which is inside the balloon cavity and connected to the illumination device, this sheet of flexible material having a central region and a free periphery inside the balloon cavity and this sheet of flexible material being attached only at the central region directly to the illumination device, with the free periphery of this sheet being free of attachment.
 2. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said parachute further comprises a second sheet of flexible material which is inside the balloon cavity and connected to the illumination device, this second sheet of flexible material also having a central region and a free periphery inside the balloon cavity and being attached to the illumination device only at the central region of this second sheet with the free periphery of this second sheet being free of attachment.
 3. A balloon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second sheets of flexible material have a common connection to the illumination device.
 4. A balloon as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first and second sheets of flexible material overlie each other at least for about half their respective areas.
 5. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein said parachute further comprises at least two further sheets of flexible material which are inside the balloon cavity and connected to the illumination device inside the balloon cavity.
 6. A balloon as claimed in claim 5, wherein the sheets of flexible material have a common connection to the illumination device.
 7. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible material is connected to the illumination device and to the flexible wall by location over the projection and engagement by the same attachment element.
 8. A balloon as claimed in claim 7, wherein the attachment element is in the form of a clip or band.
 9. A balloon as claimed in claim 8, wherein the attachment element is in the form of a band which is elastomeric.
 10. A balloon as claimed in claim 9, wherein the attachment element is in the form of a band which is a closed loop.
 11. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible material is formed of polyethylene.
 12. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible material is provided with ribs extending outwards from the central region of the sheet of flexible material.
 13. A balloon as claimed in claim 12, wherein the sheet of flexible material is rectangular and four ribs are provided extending from the central region towards respective corners of the sheet of flexible material.
 14. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible material is held between the illumination device and the inner surface of the flexible wall, the sheet of flexible material being held by the same attachment element which engages from outside the balloon with the projection of the frame.
 15. A balloon as claimed in claim 1, wherein the sheet of flexible material forming the parachute is connected only at its central region to the flexible wall of the balloon as well as to the illumination device.
 16. A party balloon comprising: a flexible wall having an outer surface and an inner surface, the inner surface defining a balloon cavity, the flexible wall having an inlet portion defining an opening into the balloon cavity through which gas under pressure is directed into the balloon cavity in order to inflate the balloon, said wall being at least partially transparent or translucent; a self-contained illumination device comprising a frame, and a light emitting diode and a battery source for the light emitting diode which are together mounted in the frame, the illumination device being mounted inside the balloon cavity to the inner surface of the flexible wall by an attachment element which engages from outside the balloon wall with a portion of the frame; and a parachute in the form of a sheet of flexible material inside the balloon cavity and connected to the flexible wall and to the illumination device, this sheet of flexible material having a central region and a free periphery inside the balloon cavity; wherein this sheet of flexible material is attached only at the central region directly to the illumination device, with the free periphery of this sheet being free of attachment such that in the event of rupture of the flexible wall of the balloon when the balloon is in an inflated condition the parachute slows the speed of movement of the illumination device. 